South London Underground station to get new look amid ‘safeguarding’ of Tube line extension

Transport for London is making changes to a South London Tube station that it says are ‘safeguarding’ an extension of the network. In committee documents, officials outline the next phase of an ongoing project at Elephant and Castle station.

This will be the 'fit out' of the station box - a reinforced concrete structure that will form the shell of the new station entrance and ticket hall. Bosses add that this will happen 'once additional funds are secured'.

Papers for the Programmes and Investment Committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, add: “Post-pandemic estimates of future passenger demand are being validated to ensure forecasts remain accurate. We expect the scheme to deliver significant regeneration benefits, with higher passenger capacity and step-free access enabling the creation of new jobs and homes across the local area.

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“The project has safeguarding to enable the future Bakerloo Line Extension project to connect to the new ticket hall. This project will return to the Committee to request additional Authorities in 2024/25.”

The works are delivering step-free access at the Bakerloo line terminus, as well as capacity improvements to ‘support housing growth and regeneration in the surrounding areas’. These ‘remain on schedule’.

New tunnels connecting to Northern line

Currently, the developer is constructing the station box as part of its planning obligations. This includes enabling works to prepare for delivery of new passenger tunnels connecting to the existing Northern line platforms.

In addition, the project recently ‘bottomed out’ by excavating to its lowest level – 33 metres beneath ground level for the station box. Officials say this remains on track for handover to TfL in 2025.

The authority is also pushing ahead with the procurement of the new passenger tunnels which will connect the new station box to existing Northern line platforms. Contract award for this is planned for summer 2024, documents add.

The Bakerloo line extension is not mentioned elsewhere in the papers. This suggests that things have not changed since my newsletter in which I outlined that the working assumption is 'construction' in the 2030s and 'services commencing' in 2040.

But this 'could change if linked to BLU [Bakerloo line upgrade] delivery', officials have added. This involves 'securing the long-term operation' of the Bakerloo line through replacement of rolling stock and upgrading signalling and control systems.

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